There is a 53km2 region in the southwest portion of the RDKB that is located in the Okanagan River watershed, covered by the Nine Mile Creek watershed (a tributary to the Okanagan River).
Blue circle shows the area in the RDKB (red outline) that is outside of the Kettle River Watershed (orange polygon).
The Nine Mile Creek watershed covers the RDOS, and enters the US before it feeds into the Okanagan River.
Yellow polygon outlines the Canadian portion of the Nine Mile Creek watershed.
RDKB had a Drought Management Plan produced by Associated Engineering for the RDKB portion of the Nine Mile Creek watershed. A public meeting will be held in November to present this to the residents of this watershed. The RDKB has no authority to regulate water or water use in the Nine Mile Creek watershed, this report is for information only and outlines the best information we had available at the time of the review. This document is to be considered a living document, and new information will be added as it becomes available and RDKB has capacity to update the document.
Water conservation and effective water management are necessary to ensure the sustainability and prosperity of the Kettle River Watershed. Looking at the history of drought in our watersheds and the projections for what might be coming, the Kettle River Watershed Drought Management Plan is to be used in conjunction with the Boundary Drought Response Plan towards improving water management in the Boundary.
This Drought Management Plan does not include the Nine Mile Creek watershed as it is located outside of the Kettle River Watershed. A Drought Management Plan for the Nine Miile Creek watershed is underway.
The Boundary Region Drought Response Plan (DRP) provides recommended actions in response to the Provincial drought levels for our region. Any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to Kristina Anderson: [email protected].
Is it possible to have a Flood and drought in the same year? Yes. Absolutely. As we know, the lack of rain in the boundary has created drought like conditions. That said, drought restrictions from the province have not yet been put in place for this area. The Kettle, the West Kettle and the Granby rivers, however, are all on the provincial watch list which means that they are being closely monitored and water restrictions could still be enforced this fall.
A major concern that the province has is fish kills and the long-term sustainability of fish populations. Rainbow trout have been studied over multiple years and the fishery has deteriorated. Findings conclude that fewer and smaller rainbow trout are found throughout boundary rivers. Causes include decreased habitat for the fish, decreases in flow, increases in water temperatures, and overfishing. As a result of fish population studies, more stringent fishing regulations were put in place in 2015 for rainbow trout. In summary: fishing in the Kettle and West Kettle is catch and release only, no fishing from July 25 and August 25 and a live bait ban from Apr. 1 – Oct. 31. In the Granby upstream of Burrell Creek, the bait ban is from Apr. 1-Oct. 31 with a daily limit of 1 trout. Downstream of Burrell Creek, catch and release only and a bait ban from July 1 – Oct. 31. These new regulations are designed to ensure future generations are afforded the same recreational opportunities that we enjoy and appreciate today.
Shawn Lockhart releasing rainbow back to the river (Credit Shawn Lockhart).
Click Fishing Regulations to obtain the most up to date regulations for the boundary region. Alternatively a hard copy can be obtained at Service BC.
– Jessica Mace is the coordinator of the Kettle River Watershed Management Plan for the RDKB, and is working with the Kettle River Watershed Authority to implement recommendations from the plan. Email [email protected]
